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Bava Basra 111a

בבא בתרא קי״א ע״א

Bava Batra 111a

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Topic

Inheriting from a mother: does a son come before a daughter, and how is that learned?

Overview

A ברייתא proves from the plural word 'tribes' in a פסוק that a daughter inherits from her mother. A קל וחומר then shows that a son inherits from his mother too. The תנא קמא says the son even comes before the daughter, while רבי זכריה בן הקצב says they share equally because of the rule of דיו. The גמרא asks how the תנא קמא can ignore דיו, which is learned from the story of מרים's seven days. It answers that the son's precedence comes from a הקש in ״ממטות״, not from the קל וחומר. A series of stories shows that רב נחמן and שמואל refused to let judges rule like רבי זכריה, and the גמרא explains that רב and שמואל both rejected his view. Finally, רבי יהודה נשיאה asks רבי ינאי for the source that a son comes first in the mother's property. When רבי ינאי gives the הקש, he challenges it: then a בכור should take a double portion of his mother's property too. That challenge continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

״וְכׇל בַּת יֹרֶשֶׁת נַחֲלָה

"And every daughter who possesses an inheritance

מִמַּטּוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל״ –

from the tribes of the children of Israel"

הֵיאַךְ בַּת יוֹרֶשֶׁת שְׁנֵי מַטּוֹת?

How can a daughter inherit from two tribes?

אֶלָּא זוֹ שֶׁאָבִיהָ מִשֵּׁבֶט אֶחָד

Rather, this is one whose father is from one tribe

The steps (19)

  1. StatementA daughter inherits from two tribes, so she inherits from her mother
  2. QuestionWhat about a son?
  3. ResponseA קל וחומר from the daughter to the son
  4. StatementThe תנא קמא: the son comes before the daughter
  5. Statementרבי זכריה בן הקצב: son and daughter are equal
  6. ResponseHis reason: דיו
  7. ChallengeHow can the תנא קמא ignore דיו?
  8. ProofThe Torah source for the rule of דיו: מרים's seven days
  9. ResolutionThe תנא קמא uses דיו, but a הקש from ״ממטות״ overrides it here
  10. Statementשמואל stops רב ניתאי from ruling like רבי זכריה
  11. Conclusionרב נחמן orders רבי טבלא to take back his ruling
  12. Statementרב הונא בר חייא wants to rule like רבי זכריה
  13. Rejectionרב נחמן exposes the shaky report
  14. QuestionWhat is רב נחמן's own source?
  15. Responseרב and שמואל both reject רבי זכריה
  16. Statementרבי ינאי feels the נשיא's cloak
  17. QuestionSource that a son comes first in the mother's property
  18. ResponseThe word מטות links mother to father
  19. ChallengeThen a firstborn should get double from the mother